Many countries have a special system for standards and labelling of household appliances by their energy efficiency. The European energy label is obligatory for certain electrical household appliances and light bulbs sold in the EU since 1995 (Fig. 3.2.14).
The label is intended to let consumers compare the energy efficiency and some other features of similar products made by one or several manufacturers. The most energy-efficient products are those in energy efficiency classes ‘A’ or ‘A +’, ‘A++’ and ‘A+++’.
Figure 3.2.14 New energy efficiency labelling for refrigerators sold in the European Union
Energy Star is a programme for energy efficiency certification developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 for computer monitors with low power consumption. Monitors that meet certain energy efficiency criteria have the right to bear the Energy Star label and as many as 98% of all computers today do so. Use of the label has been extended to 65 other types of goods, from appliances to buildings, which are now assessed using the Energy Star system (more than 1.4 million buildings and over 20,000 factories in the USA today are Energy Star-certified).
Figure 3.2.15 The US Energy Star label
Energy Star is one of the key programmes that the USA reported in its 2022 Climate Ambition Report (eighth national communication under the UNFCCC), which outlines advances in its climate policies under the Paris Agreement. It stated that since 1992, Energy Star and its partners have helped American families and businesses save five trillion kWh of electricity, save more than $500 billion in energy costs, and achieve four billion tons of CO2-equivalent greenhouse gas reductions. In 2020 alone, savings resulted in emissions reductions of more than 400 million tons of CO2-equivalent greenhouse gases, roughly equivalent to more than 5% of total greenhouse gas emissions in the country.
More and more countries are recognizing the benefits of energy efficiency standards and labelling programmes to effectively reduce energy bills, drive product innovation, create jobs and reduce the cost of CO2 emissions. Such programmes for appliances and equipment now operate in more than 120 countries around the world and are the cornerstone of most national energy efficiency and climate change mitigation programmes. Such programmes have been operating the longest in the USA and the EU where, by IEA estimates, they have delivered annual reductions of around 15% of total current electricity consumption.
An energy efficiency label doesn’t just tell the consumer about the energy efficiency of a device, but also about what it can do. After all, the main task of a washing machine is to wash and rinse clothes, and its ability to save energy is secondary, though important. In recent years consumers have been increasingly keen to choose devices and technologies that not only do their job well, but also use less energy and resources and thereby save the consumer money (Fig. 3.2.16).
Figure 3.2.16 Impact of energy-efficiency labelling and minimum energy-efficiency standards on the EU market for refrigerators and freezers
The impact of an electrical appliance on human health is at least as important as its energy consumption. We must remember that health hazards from new inventions might only be detected after some time. The discovery of such problems doesn’t mean that new technology cannot be used: a design improvement might be enough to set the problem right. But we must approach new technologies carefully: without prejudice, but with caution.
For example, a new device that has recently gained popularity is the induction cooker, which is very easy to use and very economical in its consumption of energy, since it only heats the bottom of the pan and not the whole space around it. However, the impact of eddy-current magnetic fields on human beings has not yet been properly studied.
